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15-ton fat blob removed from London sewer

A 15-ton ball of congealed fat -- dubbed Britain's biggest ever "fatberg" -- has been dredged up from a London sewer, utility company Thames Water said Tuesday. It took 10 days to remove the double-decker bus-sized lump of festering food fat.
Newslook

Jordan Friedman, USA TODAY
3:49 p.m. EDT August 6, 2013

A giant 'fatberg' was discovered under a London street in the sewer drain.(Photo: AFP)

A 15-ton massive blob of food fat and baby wipes, dubbed Britain's largest-ever "fatberg," has been removed from a London sewer, local water authorities said Tuesday.

The utility company Thames Water spent three weeks working to remove the fatberg, which was about the size of a bus. The giant mass was discovered after nearby residents reported issues with flushing their toilets, Thames Water said in a statement.

"While we've removed greater volumes of fat from under central London in the past, we've never seen a single, congealed lump of lard this big clogging our sewers before," Gordon Hailwood, Thames Water's waste contracts supervisor, said in the statement.

He also said that the blob of fat was so big that it damaged the sewers. Repairs, which began Monday, will take up to six weeks, according to the statement.

"Homes and businesses need to change their ways, when it comes to fat and wipes, please remember: 'Bin it – don't block it,'" Hailwood said.

The fatberg could have potentially flooded homes and streets. It was discovered under London Road in Kingston, Surrey.

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